3 Tips to Turn Volunteer Work Into Your Career

Are you fond of volunteer work? Be it helping the oppressed, taking care of the sick, managing traffic or just filling out forms, your passion for volunteer work can now be turned into a full fledged Career.

Tips to turn volunteer work into your career:

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1. Put it on your CV: Despite hiring managers saying they value volunteer work equally with paid work when evaluating a candidate, job seekers seldom include volunteer work on their resumes. According to research by online professional network LinkedIn, one out of every five hiring managers in Australia have hired a candidate because of their volunteer work experience.

2. Assess what skills you think are transferable: Cliff Rosenberg, Managing Director, LinkedIn Australia and New Zealand, said someone may be a sales person by trade, but if they organised a fundraising event, they can add skills, like event planning or event marketing, to their profile. Having those additional skills can set a person apart and potentially make them a more attractive employee and business partner.

3. Learn new skills and expand your career: You may work in hospitality but teach English as a second language to refugees. If you find you are good at it, and enjoy it – volunteering can provide a pathway to a new career. It can give allow you to test out new skills, flex different work muscles and if you find those muscles work – you are well on the way to a career change.

Some universities are recognising that volunteer work can be professionalised by providing degrees tailored especially for those in the Not for Profit sector.